BRIDGEPORT -- His teammates whacked their sticks on the ice at the end of practice at the Wonderland of Ice, calling Justin Johnson to the middle of the circle to lead the stretches.

And as usual, Johnson added a little extra, a few extra moves as his teammates cheered him on.

"He brings energy. He brings fun to the rink," said coach Scott Pellerin, who has had Johnson on his teams for three years. "Even for the oldest guy on the team, he brings youthful energy. He's a guy you want to be around."

Tuesday, for the first time in his 32 years, Johnson brought an NHL contract to the rink, too.

The New York Islanders signed him, replacing the AHL contract he signed last summer, and assigned him back to the Sound Tigers. It gives them the option of calling him up at some point over the last month and a half of the season.

"It's something to treasure, to hold onto," Johnson said. "I'll definitely keep the paperwork nice and flat, probably frame it. I'll hold onto it for my son one day if he wants to be a hockey player."

It's been a ride for Johnson, who played four years in his hometown for Alaska-Anchorage, four years in the ECHL, then three years for Manchester, where Pellerin was his assistant coach for the first two years.

"He can shoot the puck," Pellerin added. "He's got good hands. He's got hockey sense. And he's still putting it all together."

And that's not to mention the physical presence at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds (his best shape in training camp since Pellerin knows him, the coach said), never afraid to drop the gloves.

Hard as a couple of suspensions have been, he has enjoyed the year in Bridgeport, especially playing with Brett Gallant, whom he respects a lot. Getting a deal on top of that?

"It's very classy of (the Islanders) to do that for a 32-year-old," Johnson said. "I'm just very grateful to play for this team and be acknowledged by a team at this level, something you've worked for your whole life."

NOTES: The Islanders traded former Sound Tigers defenseman Andrew MacDonald to Philadelphia on Tuesday for Matt Mangene, a second-year pro forward who turns 25 next week, and two draft picks. Mangene has 17 points in 92 AHL games, including six in 51 games this year with Adirondack; he's assigned to Bridgeport.

The NHL trade deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m., and any other moves the Islanders make could have effects on Bridgeport's roster before its trip to Newfoundland for two weekend games at St. John's.